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Edgewater View (Bergen, North Jersey)
May 2, 2014
Not forgetting genocide victims
by Chris Perez
HACKENSACK - Friends, families, and neighbors gathered on April 24 in
front of the Bergen County Courthouse on the anniversary of the
Armenian Genocide for a day of remembrance and reflection.
County officials and local members of the Armenian community,
including The Knights and Daughters of Vartan, were in attendance to
remember the 1.5 million lives that were lost at the hands of the
Ottoman Turks between 1915 and 1920.
Every year, Armenians of Bergen County have held a requiem service at
the Genocide Memorial in Hackensack in remembrance of those who lost
their lives.
This is the 24th meeting since the memorial was dedicated in the
summer of 1990, and is the 99th anniversary of the day these events
took place.
"The Armenian Genocide should not be forgotten," said John Lawrence
Shahdanian, past commander of the Knights of Vartan. "We have to speak
about it, we have to tell the story, and we have to let others know."
Beginning on April 24, 1915, this genocide, which forced countless
numbers of people from their homes and into prison, was the first of
the 20th century.
The systematic destruction took place during and after World War 1,
and forced people to march hundreds of miles without food or water,
where they were ultimately massacred indiscriminately of age or
gender.
Shahdanian opened the program with the story of his grandfather, a
U.S. citizen who had been murdered during the genocide.
"He was taken from his home, thrown into jail with other Armenians in
Turkey, and one day, he just wasn't there anymore," he said. "The word
was they had taken them into a field and shot them all. They were
never found, they were never buried."
At that point, Shahdanian said his father, who was 9 years old, had
convinced his mother to leave the area and relocate to a family
business in Istanbul.
"The most important thing we can do is remember our ancestors and what
happened to them so our children don't forget and so the world doesn't
forget," he said.
The keynote speaker for the event was Khatchig Mouradian, an adjunct
professor at Rutgers University and editor of the Armenian Weekly.
"There is an importance in our environment for recognizing injustice,"
Mouradian told the crowd. "If we can find time to dedicate ourselves
to truth and justice, the world would be a better place."
After the program, Mouradian said that events like these are great
opportunities to once again renew their call for the United States and
eventually Turkey to recognize the Armenian Genocide.
Mouradian believes that the United States, which has hosted and
embraced many survivors of this tragedy, has a duty to recognize the
Armenian Genocide on the federal level.
"We must acknowledge the stories of the children and grandchildren who
are gathered here today and who are first-hand witnesses to the
stories of the survivors," Mouradian said.
The Armenian clergy led guests in prayer, sang hymns and laid red
carnations in front of the memorial stone in remembrance of those who
lost their lives.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
May 2, 2014
Not forgetting genocide victims
by Chris Perez
HACKENSACK - Friends, families, and neighbors gathered on April 24 in
front of the Bergen County Courthouse on the anniversary of the
Armenian Genocide for a day of remembrance and reflection.
County officials and local members of the Armenian community,
including The Knights and Daughters of Vartan, were in attendance to
remember the 1.5 million lives that were lost at the hands of the
Ottoman Turks between 1915 and 1920.
Every year, Armenians of Bergen County have held a requiem service at
the Genocide Memorial in Hackensack in remembrance of those who lost
their lives.
This is the 24th meeting since the memorial was dedicated in the
summer of 1990, and is the 99th anniversary of the day these events
took place.
"The Armenian Genocide should not be forgotten," said John Lawrence
Shahdanian, past commander of the Knights of Vartan. "We have to speak
about it, we have to tell the story, and we have to let others know."
Beginning on April 24, 1915, this genocide, which forced countless
numbers of people from their homes and into prison, was the first of
the 20th century.
The systematic destruction took place during and after World War 1,
and forced people to march hundreds of miles without food or water,
where they were ultimately massacred indiscriminately of age or
gender.
Shahdanian opened the program with the story of his grandfather, a
U.S. citizen who had been murdered during the genocide.
"He was taken from his home, thrown into jail with other Armenians in
Turkey, and one day, he just wasn't there anymore," he said. "The word
was they had taken them into a field and shot them all. They were
never found, they were never buried."
At that point, Shahdanian said his father, who was 9 years old, had
convinced his mother to leave the area and relocate to a family
business in Istanbul.
"The most important thing we can do is remember our ancestors and what
happened to them so our children don't forget and so the world doesn't
forget," he said.
The keynote speaker for the event was Khatchig Mouradian, an adjunct
professor at Rutgers University and editor of the Armenian Weekly.
"There is an importance in our environment for recognizing injustice,"
Mouradian told the crowd. "If we can find time to dedicate ourselves
to truth and justice, the world would be a better place."
After the program, Mouradian said that events like these are great
opportunities to once again renew their call for the United States and
eventually Turkey to recognize the Armenian Genocide.
Mouradian believes that the United States, which has hosted and
embraced many survivors of this tragedy, has a duty to recognize the
Armenian Genocide on the federal level.
"We must acknowledge the stories of the children and grandchildren who
are gathered here today and who are first-hand witnesses to the
stories of the survivors," Mouradian said.
The Armenian clergy led guests in prayer, sang hymns and laid red
carnations in front of the memorial stone in remembrance of those who
lost their lives.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress